


Just once I'll let go (because I want to fly)

by Gilrael



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe, Blow Jobs, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Family Issues, Frottage, Happy Ending, Homophobia, M/M, minor AkiSaeTen, minor Ennoshita/Male OC, minor past EnnoTeru
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-13
Updated: 2019-10-16
Packaged: 2020-12-14 09:02:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21013202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gilrael/pseuds/Gilrael
Summary: “I have a potential new client for you anyway. Do you have any plans for Golden Week?”“Not really.”“Good. Your client's name is Ennoshita Chikara, and he would like you to play his boyfriend when he goes back home to visit his parents.”“Huh.” Ryuu grinned. “It's been a while since I've had a male client.”“I'm aware. Would you be okay with doing this?”“Sure, why not? Over-night gigs like this pay pretty well.”~~~Chikara has told his parents that he would introduce his boyfriend the next time he visits them, but his boyfriend breaks up with him before he can do so. With only five days to find a replacement, he ends up hiring a boyfriend for rent. To Chikara's surprise, his fake boyfriend turns out to be the man of his dreams (aka Tanaka Ryuunosuke).





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> EnnoTana hell is real, EnnoTana hell is eternal, so here I am lmao  
I was struck by inspiration and then I couldn't stop myself. I'm already working on chapter 2, so hopefully, that'll be out sometime next week. I can't give any guarantees tho.  
As with 90% of my fics the title is inspired by a song. This time it's ["Ich will brennen" by ASP](https://open.spotify.com/track/4NFoPHSeUlEUOr7xbmZn14?si=nDkq5IN0TkCquTQfqGySWQ).

“I don't want to meet your parents!”

“I get that, but that doesn't mean we have to break up!”

Chikara's hands were sweating. He knew he was just trying to delay the inevitable. This relationship was built on a crumbling foundation, and the end was going to come sooner or later.

“Chikara.” Katsuo-san, Chikara's about to be ex-boyfriend, pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers. The tone of his voice was exasperated but not unkind. “We both know that this whole relationship only started because it was convenient for us. I like you well enough, the sex was good, but that's all there is to it. And it was nice while it lasted. It really was. But I want to, you know, go out and live a little.”

“But I already told my parents that I'd bring my boyfriend with me next week!”

The deadpan look on Katsuo-san's face said more than a thousand words.

“Just tell them we broke up, dude.”

Chikara groaned.

“If I do that my parents will try to set me up with the daughters of their friends.”

Katsuo-san laughed.

“And you think they wouldn't if they met _me_?” He pointed at his pierced nose and the tattoo on his arm.

Chikara blinked.

“You've got a point there.”

“Seriously, Chikara.” Katsuo-san smiled ruefully. “If you want someone to introduce to your family, I'm the wrong candidate. I don't usually do the committed relationship thing anyway. And you know that.”

Chikara knew. He knew all too well that Katsuo-san had slept with at least half of the other gay or bi men in the philosophy department when they'd still been undergrad students. He wasn't one for romantic relationships, and the only reason he'd agreed to go out with Chikara for a bit was that he'd needed a break from certain people who frequented the same bars as he did. He'd said as much when they'd had sex the first time.

It wasn't like Chikara was in love with Katsuo-san either. Mostly, he'd just hoped to shut his parents up about “the whole being gay thing being a phase.”

“Fine.” He sighed and sat back down on his sofa. “I'll come to pick up my stuff tomorrow, and I'll bring what I can find of the things you left here. Is that alright?”

Katsuo-san nodded and ruffled Chikara's hair.

“We'll both be happier in the long run.”

Chikara grunted. Now he had to somehow figure out how to find a replacement boyfriend in the next five days. Showing up at home without a plus-one was not an option.

***

The cloud of perfume that surrounded today's client was sickeningly sweet. It had taken all of Ryuu's willpower not to flinch every time she moved next to him while they were sitting at the bar and chatting. At least she was nice. And she appreciated his sense of humour, which was always a plus in Ryuu's book.

“Thank you very much for this evening, Tanaka-san,” Mai-san said as Ryuu walked her home. Now that they were out in the open, the smell of perfume was a little more bearable, even as she was clutching his arm.

“No need to thank me, I'm just doing my job,” Ryuu said, smiling. “By the way, was your ex there today?”

Mai-san nodded.

“I saw him sitting in the corner of the room when we left,” she said, giggling with delight. “I'm pretty sure he'll leave me alone, now that he's seen me with you, and not just heard about it from his friends. Otherwise, I'm pretty sure he would've just confronted us at the bar.”

“Nice. If he doesn't leave you alone, you know how to contact me,” Ryuu said, grinning down at her. Mai-san bashfully lowered her gaze.

“So... We're almost back at my house,” she said, tightening her grip on Ryuu's arm.

“I know. I've been walking you home after our little dates, haven't I?” Ryuu quipped, feigning ignorance. He knew where this was going, and he had absolutely no desire to go there.

Mai-san giggled. “I've been really enjoying our dates, so I thought we might be able to enjoy ourselves some more at my place.”

As attractive as Mai-san was, Ryuu had no desire to put his job on the line just to get laid.

“It's against our company policy to become intimate with our clients,” he said carefully.

“Oh, nobody needs to know,” she said, batting her eyelashes at Ryuu. If he'd still been an inexperienced teen that might have actually worked, but luckily, Ryuu had done a lot of growing up since his high school days.

“I also have a girlfriend who would not appreciate me sleeping with my clients.” He'd told this lie so many times at this point that he barely had to think about it anymore.

“Oh? And she's okay with you being in this line of work?” Mai-san sounded sceptical.

“Well, she thinks it's very nice of me to help other women out in tough situations like the one between you and your ex,” Ryuu explained, smiling. As usual, that did the trick.

Mai-san sighed and shook her head.

“That's a shame. You'll still walk me home, though, right?”

“Of course, my dear,” Ryuu said. “I'm a gentleman after all.”

Mai-san laughed out loud. “You look too much like a bad boy to call yourself a gentleman.”

“Oh, how you wound me!”

A couple of minutes later, the front door closed behind Mai-san, leaving Ryuu to heave a sigh of relief. As he walked back to the train station, he contemplated whether or not he should tell his boss about Mai-san trying to get him to sleep with her, but then again, she hadn't been too pushy about it, so there probably wasn't anything to worry about.

His phone rang as he waited for his train back home to arrive.

A quick look at the call ID revealed that it was his boss.

“Hello, Kiyoko-saaan,” Ryuu sing-songed. “I just accompanied my client home.”

“Hello, Ryuu,” Kiyoko-san said. “So I take it, everything went well?”

“For the most part. Her ex actually saw us this time, so we'll see whether he'll continue to harass her with more texts after this or not,” Ryuu explained. “She did suggest that she'd like to have sex with me, but I let her down gently, and she didn't seem to be offended by that.”

“Hm, okay.” Ryuu could perfectly picture the stern face Kiyoko-san was probably making right now. “Well, I have a potential new client for you anyway. Do you have any plans for Golden Week?”

“Not really. I was just going to hang out with Noya-san and have a couple of beers, but we can do that every other weekend anyway.”

“Good. Your client's name is Ennoshita Chikara, and he would like you to play his boyfriend when he goes back home to visit his parents.”

“Huh.” Ryuu grinned. “It's been a while since I've had a male client.”

“I'm aware. Would you be okay with doing this? I've already explained our company policies to Ennoshita-san, and he seems to be happy to comply.”

“Sure, why not? Over-night gigs like this pay pretty well.”

***

Hiring a fake boyfriend was a decision born from pure desperation and the fact that none of Chikara's friends was willing to play the part. He'd just typed “boyfriend for rent Kyoto” into the search bar of his browser, expecting – and finding – a bunch of male prostitutes. Luckily, the fifth result led him to Shimizu-san's business. It wasn't cheap, but it seemed a lot more trustworthy than some of the other search results. He'd called on a whim, expecting to be hung up on after explaining his situation, but to his surprise, Shimizu-san said that she was fairly certain that one of her employees was willing to take on the job.

Now Chikara was waiting at the train station, hoping to god that his fake boyfriend would show up on time so they wouldn't miss the bullet train to his hometown.

“The things I do to keep my parents off my back,” Chikara muttered as he looked down at his phone to check the time. Ten more minutes until they needed to get on the train. This guy really was cutting things too close for comfort.

“Are you Ennoshita-san?”

Rendering Chikara speechless wasn't an easy feat, but the man in front of him seemed to have stepped right out of the centrefold of a fashion magazine. Short cropped dark hair, fierce eyes, and a toned body that was nicely accentuated by his tight-fitting shirt had Chikara's mind reeling. This guy was way out of his league.

“You... you're Tanaka-san?” he stammered, tightening his grip on the two train tickets in one hand and his phone in the other.

“The one and only,” Tanaka-san said jovially. His grin morphed into a slight frown when Chikara didn't react. “Or well... I guess there are plenty of people called Tanaka. But yeah, I'll be your boyfriend for the next couple of days.”

_Holy fuck._

“You are way out of my league. My parents will never believe that you're my boyfriend.” Chikara only realised that he'd voiced his thoughts out loud when Tanaka-san laughed in response.

“Don't worry,” he said, stepping into Chikara's personal space and placing his hands on his hips. “I can put up a pretty convincing act when I have such a handsome client to work with.”

The palms of Tanaka-san's hands felt hot through the thin fabric of Chikara's shirt. Clearing his throat, Chikara held up the train tickets in the narrow space that remained between their bodies.

“We have a train to catch.”

“Oh, right,” Tanaka-san said, stepping back with a smile. “Lead the way!”

By the time they had stowed away their bags and taken their seats, Chikara still hadn't properly processed that he'd somehow managed to hire a guy who was _exactly_ his type to pretend to be his boyfriend for the next three days.

“Okay, so... gimme some details,” Tanaka-san said, completely disregarding Chikara's spacey behaviour. “My boss said you wanna introduce a boyfriend to your parents for some reason, but I need a little more info to make this whole thing convincing, you know?”

Chikara sighed and sank back into his seat.

“It's a long story.”

Tanaka-san raised an eyebrow. “We have a five-hour train ride ahead of us.”

So Chikara told Tanaka-san about the time he'd invited his first boyfriend up to his bedroom, thinking that his mother wouldn't be home until late in the evening, but she'd swapped shifts with one of her co-workers. She'd come back home early, catching Chikara with another boy's dick in his mouth. As far as reactions went, Chikara's parents had remained fairly calm, instead choosing to actively ignore Chikara's sexuality. At first, he'd thought that that was a good thing until he'd broken up with his boyfriend, and his mother thought the best way to console her heartbroken son was to tell him that he'd find a nice girl to fall in love with soon enough. Chikara had moved all the way to Kyoto for university, hoping that putting some distance between him and his parents would help reduce the strain on their relationship, but to this day, every other phone call ended in an argument about Chikara not wanting his parents to set him up with the neighbour's daughter. At this point, Chikara was sick of it.

“...and so I thought, hey, I might as well introduce Katsuo-san to my parents when I go home this time. Not like we were actually serious about each other, but I thought bringing a boyfriend to officially meet them might finally shut them up. It's been eight years after all! It's finally time they get over it!” Chikara pulled a grimace. “But Katsuo-san got cold feet. He probably thought I was more serious about the relationship than I actually was, so he broke things off five days ago after I had already told my parents that I had a boyfriend to introduce to them.”

Tanaka-san looked sceptical.

“So your first thought was to rent a fake boyfriend instead?”

Chikara shook his head. “No, I asked some of my friends first. But none of them fancied having to lie to my parents, so I got desperate.”

“You could've just told your parents the truth, though?”

“You don't get it. Every single time I go home they have a bunch of photos of 'potential wives' for me. It's ridiculous, and it needs to stop. Immediately.”

Tanaka-san chuckled and casually put a hand on Chikara's knee.

“Well, I'm not gonna complain,” he said, drawing a circle on the fabric of Chikara's jeans. “I get paid to spend time with you, _and _I get to go back home for a couple of days.”

It took Chikara a moment to process what Tanaka-san had just said, mainly because his brain was very much preoccupied with Tanaka-san's hand. This was like puberty all over again.

“So, er, you also grew up in Miyagi?” Chikara asked. “What brought you all the way to Kyoto then?”

As Tanaka-san told Chikara about how he'd first moved to Tokyo after high school only to immediately fall in love with a girl from Kyoto, Chikara couldn't help but notice how his accent started slipping into the patterns Chikara was familiar with from home. It was a cadence he rarely heard anymore, a couple turns of phrase that made nostalgia wash over him, and coming out of the mouth of Tanaka-san, it was just really freaking attractive.

“...it took us a while to save up enough money, but eventually I came all the way to Kyoto to move in with her.”

“Oh, so you're living with your girlfriend?” Chikara asked, surprised that someone who was in a relationship felt comfortable in such a profession.

“Nah.” Tanaka-san shook his head. “We didn't work out. It was fine while it was a long-distance thing, but living together... We just got on each other's nerves. Badly.”

Well, this was awkward.

“I'm sorry for bringing it up then.”

“No worries. It's been five years. I'm over it.”

Five years?

“How old are you anyway?” Chikara asked. He'd just assumed that Tanaka-san was younger than him.

“I'm twenty-six. And you?”

“Me too.”

“Oh, wild. Which high school did you go to then?”

***

Generally, Ryuu enjoyed his job. He liked spending time with people, socialising, trying to give people who were lonely and/or scared some reprieve by going on dates with them. Obviously, there were also days when he had difficult customers – ones that grated on his nerves until he was ready to snap, or ones that thought they could pay him to have sex with them. It was important to the image of Kiyoko-san's company that Ryuu and his co-workers kept their interactions with customers clean and wholesome. And usually, that wasn't much of a challenge for Ryuu.

But then, Ennoshita Chikara happened.

As a teenager, Ryuu had been particularly standoffish whenever he came across some pretty boy. It had been a reaction born from a lot of internalised homophobia – a desperate attempt to convince himself and others that he was not bisexual. Nowadays, Ryuu was a lot more comfortable with his own sexuality, comfortable enough, in fact, to immediately recognise Ennoshita-san was one-hundred per cent his type. Spending five hours on a train and developing a fake backstory to tell Ennoshita-san's parents about how they met and “fell in love” was the most fun Ryuu had had in all of his time working as a boyfriend for rent. Ennoshita-san had a very dry sense of humour, a knack for storytelling, and the way he kept pushing his hair out of his face did _things_ to Ryuu. Ryuu's teenage self would have immediately tried to pick a fight with him. Twenty-six-year-old Ryuu had to scrape together all of his self-control to stop himself from touching Ennoshita-san.

“Oh, by the way,” Ennoshita-san said as he grabbed their luggage before they got off the train, “you can call me Chikara. That'll make the whole thing a little more convincing, I think.”

“You call me Ryuu then. That's what all my friends call me,” Ryuu said, trying not to get too excited at the prospect of dropping the honorifics and polite speech. It was just part of the act. It didn't actually _mean_ anything.

***

Arriving at his parents' house, Chikara was nervous yet determined. He would finally put an end to all of his parents' bullshit. No more setting him up on surprise dates with their friends' daughters. No more arguing on the phone about how he just hadn't found the right woman yet.

“It's so nice to meet you Ryuunosuke-kun,” Chikara's mother said as Ryuu handed her the traditional sweets he'd brought from Kyoto.

“It's nice to meet you as well, Ennoshita-san,” Ryuu replied, putting on the friendliest smile. It was slightly disconcerting since Chikara had become so used to the flirty half-smirk Ryuu had had on his face for most of the train ride.

“No need to be so formal, you can call me Ume.”

“Whatever you wish, Ume-san!”

It took maybe a quarter of an hour for Ryuu to have both of Chikara's parents wrapped around his finger. They treated him like an important guest, clearly making an effort to get to know him better as they sat around the kitchen table.

“So what do you do for work, Ryuunosuke-kun?” Chikara's father asked, making Chikara tense up in his chair. They'd talked about all of this on the train, and so far nothing had gone wrong, but eventually, he knew _something_ would have to go wrong.

“I work as a bartender,” Ryuu explained without missing a beat. “That's how the two of us met in the first place.”

“Yeah, I was out drinking with my colleagues from the philosophy department,” Chikara jumped in hastily, his nerves getting the better of him. “Ryuu helped me take care of one of my drunken superiors.”

“Nothing like falling in love while you try to get a drunk man into a taxi,” Ryuu said, making Chikara's father laugh out loud.

“Ha! That reminds me of how your mother and I met,” he said. “Though, she was the drunk in that situation.”

“Tarou was really sweet about helping me home,” Chikara's mother said, smiling softly.

As they continued to talk to his parents, Chikara's anxiety about introducing a (fake) boyfriend to them was starting to calm down. Ryuu clearly knew what he was doing, casually putting his hand on Chikara's knee below the table, and occasionally throwing gentle smiles in his direction. And Chikara's mother took notice of these little acts, smiling in a way Chikara hadn't seen in years. This clearly had been a wonderful idea.

At least that was what Chikara thought until it was time to go to bed.

***

“You _what_?”

Things had been going great. Ume-san and Tarou-san had been so smitten with Ryuu, and Ryuu hadn't even needed to do much acting because he was honestly kinda smitten with their son. They'd eaten up every single lie about how Ryuu and Chikara had met and about how in love they were with each other, and if Chikara's parents had actually _known_ their son, they would've realised that suggesting that he and Ryuu should sleep in separate rooms was a terrible idea. Even Ryuu, who'd only met him roughly ten hours ago knew better than that.

“Chikara, honey,” Ume-san started but Chikara seemed to be in no mood to listen to her.

“I told you I was coming home with my _boyfriend_,” Chikara spit out through clenched teeth. “This is not like the time Narita came to sleep over. Are you going to make me and my _boyfriend_ sleep in different rooms? Because honestly... Fuck that.”

“Chikara, watch your tone!” Tarou-san chided.

“Don't get me started on _you_!”

Ryuu flinched as Chikara raised his voice. The guy clearly had built up some resentment towards his parents over the years.

“_Neither of you_ ever even acknowledged the fact that I'm gay,” Chikara went on, his face red, and his eyes that had seemed so sleepy and cute mere moments ago were burning with anger. “You always spoke of Terushima-kun like he was just my 'friend', although mum caught me giving him a fucking _blow job_.”

“We just didn't know how to talk to you about it,” Ume-san said.

“Well, you clearly still don't,” Chikara said, grabbed his bag and stormed down the stairs and towards the front door. He slammed it shut behind him, leaving Ryuu and his parents to stare at the door in utter disbelief (in Ryuu's case) and shock (in his parents' case).

“Err... I guess I better follow him?” Ryuu said, hysterical laughter bubbling up in his throat. “It was... er... very nice to meet you but I think I need to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid.”

“We're so sorry, Ryuunosuke-kun,” Ume-san said as she followed him down the stairs. “This really isn't the best first impression to make, is it?”

“Er, I guess?” Another nervous chuckle made its way past Ryuu's lips. “Don't worry. He'll come around again eventually.”

Tarou-san sighed. “I wouldn't be so sure about that. He inherited my stubbornness.”

“We really didn't mean to... I just didn't _think_...”

“Well, I gotta go run after him before he's gone off god knows where,” Ryuu said, hastily putting on his shoes. “It was nice meeting you!”

And with that, he quickly made a run for the door. Luckily, Chikara hadn't gone very far yet; Ryuu could still see him as he made his way down the road towards the town centre.

“Chikara, wait up!”

Chikara turned his head and stopped, waiting until Ryuu had caught up with him.

“Where are you going?” he asked, slightly out of breath.

“I need a drink.” Chikara sighed. “There's a bar next to the train station. It should still be open at this hour.”

“Okay, lead the way.”

As they continued down the road, Ryuu tried to think of something to say, but he honestly couldn't. Chikara may have told him about the problems he'd had with his parents ever since he'd still been a teenager, but it was still quite shocking to see someone who'd seemed so calm and collected all day blow up like that.

“I know I'm overreacting,” Chikara finally said. “She just set up a futon for you in the guest room. Big fucking deal. But considering how they've been handling the topic of my sexuality for the last seven years, it was just... Ugh.”

“It's okay. Just take your time to calm down,” Ryuu said, giving Chikara a pat on the back. “I'd probably be pissed off, too, in your situation.”

“I'll have to talk this out with them tomorrow, won't I?” Chikara said, pulling a grimace.

“Yep.”

“Ugh.”

_I'll have to keep a close eye on him tonight_, Ryuu thought as they arrived at the bar. _Make sure he doesn't drink himself senseless. _

***

“I'm cutting you off right here,” Ryuu said, grabbing Chikara's glass and gulping down what was left of his beer.

“I'm not even drunk yet,” Chikara sighed. He _really_ wasn't going to get drunk off of two beers. He wasn't that much of a lightweight.

“I'm stopping you _before_ you get drunk,” Ryuu insisted, waving down the barkeeper to pay for their drinks. “I get that you are pissed off at your parents, and I honestly can't blame you.”

He paid for both of their drinks, stopping Chikara with a glare when he saw him reach for his wallet. This didn't seem right. Ryuu was technically still on the job. He shouldn't have been the one to pay for anything, and yet, Chikara couldn't muster the strength to go against him.

As they grabbed their bags and stepped out into the night, a gentle breeze ruffled Chikara's hair. The fresh air cleared his head, making him realise that they didn't really have a place to sleep for the night, unless...

Chikara groaned, looking up into the stars. The night sky in rural Miyagi was a sight to behold. There was a poetic irony to be found in the fact that it was here, where the vast expanse of the universe stretched out in front of his eyes, that Chikara felt stuck, while on the balcony of his tiny flat in Kyoto, where the night sky was oppressively black, he felt free.

“I don't want to go back to my parents' place.”

“We don't have to go back there,” Ryuu said, looking down at his phone. “I just texted my sister, and she's going to pick us up. We're going back to hers.”

“That's really nice of you, but I don't want to impose–” Chikara started but Ryuu cut him off by placing a finger over his lips.

“Saeko-nee inherited our grandma's house. It's huge. There is plenty of room for us. And most importantly, she and her two boyfriends are pretty chill about me being bi, so we don't have to put up with homophobic bullshit over there.”

Ryuu had just said a lot of notable things, but Chikara's brain immediately zeroed in on one particular statement.

“You're bi?”

“Er, yes?” There was an edge of confusion in Ryuu's voice. “I mentioned it earlier when your parents were still being nice, didn't I?”

“I thought that that was just... you know... you playing your part?”

Ryuu blinked. Once. Twice. And then he started laughing. Chikara could feel his cheeks heat up.

“Oh my god, Chikara,” Ryuu said breathlessly. “You're adorable. Haaa... I wasn't playing any part when I was complimenting you all day. Just so you know, I meant every single word of it. You are handsome as fuck, and I can barely keep my hands off of you.”

Chikara had no response for any of this. All he could do was stand there, blushing like an idiot and hoping that Ryuu's sister would get a move one.

***

“I hope you two don't mind sharing,” Tenma-san said as he led them down the corridor. “Akiteru and I only had time to clean up one of the spare rooms.”

Ryuu shrugged. He had hoped to be spared the temptation of sleeping next to Chikara, now that they weren't staying with his parents anymore, but it wasn't like he was going to be mad about that.

“Well, we stormed out of his parents' house because they were going to make us sleep in separate rooms, so...”

Tenma-san raised an eyebrow and opened the last door on the right. “That sounds like a _story_. But you guys can tell me about that in the morning. It's getting late. Sleep well.”

“Goodnight.”

“Night,” Chikara mumbled. He'd barely said anything ever since Saeko-nee had come to pick them up. Ryuu wasn't quite sure what to make of that. Was it because Chikara felt awkward about sleeping over at a stranger's house? Was it because he was still mad at his parents? Either way, Ryuu couldn't blame him. This was quite the situation they had found themselves in.

They put down their bags and got ready for the night, taking turns washing up in the bathroom.

The space between their futons was practically non-existent. Ryuu could've simply stretched out his arm, and they would've been touching. It was tempting to do so, to caress the face of someone who was technically a stranger to Ryuu, to try and smooth out the wrinkle between Chikara's brows that had been there for most of the evening even if Ryuu couldn't see it anymore now that they had turned off the lights.

“You alright?” Ryuu asked, folding his arms behind his head to curb the urge to touch Chikara.

“I guess?” Chikara sighed deeply. “I'm just... Ugh. This all sucks.”

“Yeah.” Ryuu didn't know what else to say. “It does.”

“I just feel so goddamn lonely,” Chikara whispered into the darkness. “My parents... I know they don't actually hate me. But it sure feels like it sometimes. If I had known that _this_ was going to be how they react to me coming home with a boyfriend, I would've never planned this whole trip. If I hadn't had this stupid idea, Katsuo-san wouldn't have dumped me, and I'd still have a boyfriend.”

“Didn't you say that you weren't actually in love with Katsuo-san?”

Chikara huffed.

“But at least I wasn't _alone _while I was dating him.”

“I'm here, though?”

“I'm _paying_ you to be here.”

Well, that stung. Ryuu was all too aware that he was technically still working, but he had hoped that he was doing a good enough job that Chikara could forget that.

“I know this is going to sound like I'm just trying to make you feel better – and I guess that's part of why I am telling you this – but I've really been enjoying your company,” Ryuu said, turning his head towards Chikara and trying to make out his shape in the darkness. “It can be quite the chore to keep up the boyfriend charade, you know? Most of the time customers are the exact opposite of my type, which is fine, I guess. Makes the whole not sleeping with customers things super easy, actually. But you...” Ryuu sighed. “If you'd suggest having sex, I don't know if I could say no.”

“You really do sound like you're just trying to make me feel better,” Chikara grumbled. “Not that I don't appreciate it, but I think I would prefer a straight-up make-out session over empty flattery.”

“I'm up for it if you are,” Ryuu said, sitting up in his futon. This was a terrible idea, and Ryuu knew it.

Chikara laughed in response.

“That's a good one.”

_To hell with it._

“No, I'm serious.” At this point, Ryuu was kinda annoyed at Chikara. How could anyone be so _dense_ and just ignore every single thing Ryuu had said in the last five minutes? “We can make out if you want. Kiyoko-san never said anything about us not being allowed to make out with customers.”

Chikara also sat up in his futon. Ryuu wished that the lights were still on so he could see his face.

“I don't want you to do this because I'm paying you,” Chikara whispered. The trembling of his voice pulled on Ryuu's heartstrings.

“Well, I've never even thought about doing this with any of my previous customers,” Ryuu said, awkwardly reaching out to touch Chikara's cheek. The voice of reason inside his head was screaming at him to stop, but then Chikara leant into the touch, and Ryuu was done for.

***

Chikara had expected a lot of things from hiring someone to be his pretend boyfriend. For one, he'd expected the whole thing to go over well with his parents, but that was beside the point. More importantly, Chikara had expected the person he hired to be completely uninterested in him outside of the “I'm paying you to act like we're in a committed relationship in front of my parents” scenario. And honestly, Chikara still wasn't sure that Ryuu wasn't just after more of his money when Ryuu leant in for a kiss. But it felt good. It temporarily soothed the pain and loneliness inside Chikara's heart, and that was all that really mattered at the moment.

And so Chikara reciprocated the kiss, wrapping his arms around Ryuu. It didn't take long for Ryuu to pull Chikara down onto his futon so they were lying on their sides, chest to chest. Chikara brushed his hand over the back of Ryuu's head, relishing in the feeling of short hair beneath his palm, but that was quickly overshadowed and forgotten when Ryuu started kissing along Chikara's jawline up to his ear.

“Has anyone ever told you that you are amazing at kissing?” Ryuu whispered, making goosebumps rise on Chikara's skin.

“Not really. I have been getting compliments for my blow jobs, though.”

The groan that tumbled out of Ryuu's mouth did things to Chikara. He chased it with a kiss, open-mouthed and hot.

It had been a while since he'd felt so instantly attracted to another guy. Having sex with Katsuo-san had been perfectly fine, a nice distraction from stress at the university, but it had never been more than that. Making out with Ryuu, Chikara felt wanted in a way he hadn't experienced in a long time. And yet, Chikara didn't want to get Ryuu into trouble. He didn't want to take things too far, but as they continued to kiss, as their hands started to stray below their t-shirts, Chikara wasn't sure whether he could stop.

By the time Ryuu broke away from the kiss, Chikara was painfully hard.

“Fuck, I shouldn't be doing this,” Ryuu said, caressing Chikara's sides.

“We don't have to do more than this,” Chikara said weakly.

“But I _want_ to do more.” Ryuu shifted his position so that his crotch was pressed against Chikara's thigh, making Chikara realise that he wasn't the only one who was desperate for release.

“Nobody needs to know,” Chikara said, pushing Ryuu over onto his back, and straddled him. “Do you want a blow job?”

“Fuck, _yes_.”

That was all Chikara needed to throw common sense out the window.

“Gimme a second,” he said, hastily getting up and turning on the lights so he could rummage through his bag for condoms.

“You brought condoms?” Ryuu asked incredulously. “Were you planning this all along?”

“Nah, I packed these before Katsuo-san broke things off,” Chikara explained, his hand hesitating over the light switch.

“Leave the lights on, I want to see you go down on me,” Ryuu said, grinning mischievously.

Chikara was a weak, _weak_ man, immediately dropping onto his knees between Ryuu's legs. Unceremoniously, he shoved Ryuu's t-shirt up and out of the way, marvelling at the abs he'd revealed in doing so. He let his hands roam freely as Ryuu pulled his shirt over his head, appreciating how Ryuu's muscles twitched underneath his fingers and appreciating the hitch in Ryuu's breath, even more, when he slipped his fingers under the elastic band of Ryuu's boxer-briefs.

“Can I?”

“_Please_.”

Ryuu's naked body was a sight to behold, and Chikara was glad he hadn't turned off the lights again. It was a shame to cover up his erection with a condom – the taste of latex wasn't necessarily enjoyable – but Chikara didn't know Ryuu well enough to trust him to be clean. Better safe than sorry. And he knew exactly how to make the best of it.

***

Ryuu had always thought that putting on a condom with your mouth was a fake porn thing, but Chikara was proving him wrong.

“Holy shit,” Ryuu hissed as Chikara used his lips and tongue to roll the condom all the way down the base of his dick. He couldn't remember if anyone had ever taken him that far into their mouth without any preamble. “You... you clearly weren't exaggerating earlier.”

Chikara hummed, sending a shiver of pleasure up Ryuu's spine, and then pulled off in a languid motion.

“I know what I'm doing,” he said, flashing a grin at Ryuu before teasingly licking along the length of Ryuu's dick. “Tell me if I do something you don't like, though.”

Before Ryuu could respond that he was pretty sure that nothing Chikara was about to do to him would be unwelcome, Chikara had already started sucking the tip of Ryuu's dick. Even through the layer of latex, Ryuu could feel the intoxicating warmth of Chikara's mouth. When he then started bobbing his head, going further and further down each time, Ryuu knew he was done for. He had to bite his lip to keep his voice down, fingers tightly gripping the futon he was sitting on. But even that wasn't enough to restrain the groan that rumbled inside Ryuu's chest when Chikara's lips reached the base of his dick. The visual, combined with the feeling of Chikara swallowing around him, was too much to take.

So Ryuu laid down on his back, ready to muffle any loud noises that threatened to spill from his lips with his pillow.

“You are... way too good at this,” Ryuu moaned. Chikara hummed once more in response.

“Oh _fuck_, I'm about... to come...”

Chikara took that as a cue to double his efforts, cupping Ryuu's balls in his hand and picking up the pace of his movements. Ryuu made a quick grab for the pillow, the downs swallowing the sound of his groan as he came.

***

There was something intensely satisfying about making another guy come with his mouth. Chikara wiped the spit from his lips, and carefully removed the condom before Ryuu's cum could spill anywhere. As Chikara tied it up, Ryuu sat up and put a hand on Chikara's thigh. There was a tenderness in his touch that gave Chikara pause. He turned his head up, and suddenly, his lips were captured in a kiss that was oh so soft and oh so dangerous.

“Lemme return the favour,” Ryuu said, grabbing the condom and discarding it on the floor. Chikara was weak to the gentle tone of Ryuu's voice and even weaker to the way Ryuu's hand caressed the inside of his thigh.

“I-if you f-feel like it.” Chikara's heart was beating even faster than before. He wasn't used to this. Everyone else had always been a little rough with Chikara, and usually, Chikara liked it when guys were a little rough with him, but Ryuu had other plans, plans that made Chikara melt into the futon with a moan once his clothes had been discarded. Fleeting kisses were placed all over his chest, dexterous fingers drew patterns on his skin, all while Ryuu kept up a stream of compliments.

“I'm sorry to say that I have no idea how to put on a condom with my mouth, so you'll have to make do with my hands,” Ryuu quipped as he ripped open the condom wrapper.

“I'm absolutely fine with that,” Chikara said, holding his breath as Ryuu rolled the condom over his erection. Chikara had barely even touched himself as he'd gone down on Ryuu, so now he was desperate for it, his hips bucking up involuntarily.

“Impatient, are we?” Ryuu asked with a single raised brow.

“So what?” Chikara replied breathlessly. He'd already thrown his pride out of the window when he'd given into the loneliness and asked Ryuu to make out with him.

Ryuu gave Chikara one last peck on the lips before he nestled himself in between Chikara's legs. He clearly wasn't quite as experienced with his mouth as Chikara was, but he compensated with sheer enthusiasm. Also his hands. Holy fuck, he knew exactly what to do with his hands, using them on the parts of Chikara's dick he didn't manage to get into his mouth because of his gag reflex.

The pleasure built up quickly, Chikara's breath becoming quicker and quicker as he neared his release. And then there it was, washing over Chikara like a wave and eliciting a broken whimper.

Chikara flopped over onto the futon once Ryuu pulled away. As he lay there and Ryuu wrapped their used condoms in tissue paper, his mind was blissfully blank. The orgasm had cleaned away his worries for now. Those were for tomorrow's Chikara to think about.

“How do you feel about cuddling after one-night stands?” he asked drowsily once Ryuu turned off the lights.

“I'm in favour.”

“Nice.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaaaaand here we have the last chapter! I hope you guys enjoy reading it :D

Chikara was breathing evenly, his head resting on Ryuu's arm as he slept. As far as sleeping companions went, Chikara was a good one. He smelled nice, he didn't snore, and he barely moved in Ryuu's arms. And yet, even as the first rays of sunlight sneaked their way in through a gap in the curtains, Ryuu had barely managed to sleep. His mind kept replaying the events of last night – the way Chikara had managed to tear down all of Ryuu's walls in less than twenty-four hours.

Sleeping with Chikara hadn't been a good idea; in fact, it was probably going to cost Ryuu his job, but he couldn't find it in himself to regret his decision. Chikara had been a wonderful partner – beautiful, skilled, and responsive. It had been fun for both of them, and that was all that really mattered, wasn't it?

As the room grew brighter and Ryuu's eyes still refused to stay shut, he decided that he might as well get out of bed now. He carefully slid his arm out from under Chikara and got up. He quietly put on some clothes and threw one last glance at Chikara, who was still sleeping soundly, before he left the room. He could hear noises coming from the kitchen downstairs, so Ryuu decided to see if he could at least get some coffee if sleep wasn't an option.

“Morning,” he muttered as he saw his sister's boyfriends sitting at the kitchen table, having breakfast.

“Good morning,” Akiteru-san replied cheerfully.

“Morning.” Tenma-san pointed at the counter. “Get yourself some coffee. You look like a zombie.”

Ryuu nodded, went to grab a cup from the cabinet and filled it with coffee from the pot.

“Is your friend still asleep?” Akiteru-san asked as Ryuu joined them at the table.

“Yeah. And he's a client, technically,” Ryuu corrected him and groaned. Saying it out loud really made his fuck up sink in.

“Okay, I've been curious about this whole situation ever since Saeko went to pick you guys up last night,” Tenma-san said, slapping his hands on the table. “So spill. Give us the details.”

And so Ryuu explained how Chikara had hired him to be his pretend boyfriend for a couple days, how he'd immediately become rather fond of Chikara, how Chikara's parents had messed up last night, and how that had led Ryuu to make some questionable decisions.

“...and so one thing led to another and... we kinda... well... blow jobs happened,” he ended, causing Akiteru-san to gasp in shock and Tenma-san to laugh out loud.

“Holy _shit_.” Akiteru-san shook his head. “That's... not good?”

“I knooow...” Ryuu whined staring down into the black abyss that was his coffee mug. Tenma-san was still laughing.

“What even are you guys doing out here?” Saeko-nee grumbled as she entered the kitchen, still wearing pyjamas.

“Ryuu messed up. Badly,” Tenma-san explained, getting up to make more coffee and placing a quick kiss on Saeko-nee's cheek in passing. She flopped down on a chair next to Akiteru-san who immediately moved to brush a strand of hair out of her face.

All of these little displays of affection only served to make Ryuu intensely jealous on top of feeling bad about the whole having slept with a client situation.

“Why can't I just be happy like you guys?” he complained.

“I think I need more context,” Saeko-nee said. “Go on. What did you do?”

So once again, Ryuu recounted what had happened yesterday. Saeko-nee listened attentively until Ryuu was done talking, and then she leaned back in her chair and sighed deeply.

“Ryuu, you need to talk to your boss about this,” she said. “Maybe not now, but at the very latest once you are back in Kyoto. I know you. The guilt will eat away at you until you are honest with her.”

That was the last thing Ryuu had wanted to hear, but his sister was right. He took a sip of his black coffee, pulling a grimace at the bitter taste. Yeah, he'd brought this whole situation on himself by thinking with his dick, and now he had to own up to it.

***

Opening his eyes, Chikara noticed that he was alone in his futon. That stung a bit, but only until Chikara realised that he had thus avoided at least one very awkward conversation. He could just sneak out of here now, go back home and talk to his parents without having to make small talk with the guy he'd fooled around with against his better judgement. Chikara was already halfway dressed when he realised that it would be even more awkward to return to his parents' house _without Ryuu_. They'd probably think that they had “broken up” over this stupid situation or something. While they certainly deserved to feel bad about the way they'd treated him over the last couple of years, Chikara didn't want to make them feel _that bad_.

“Goddamnit.”

Cursing under his breath, Chikara finished putting on his shirt and left the room. Running away had always been one of his first instincts to kick in, but it seemed that it wouldn't take him very far for once.

Voices led him downstairs to the kitchen, where Ryuu, Saeko-san, and her boyfriends were having breakfast.

“Oh, Chikara-kun!” Saeko-san said when she noticed him in the doorway. “Come and sit down! There's still some food and coffee left over for you.”

The only free chair was next to Ryuu who turned around and waved awkwardly. Well, at least Chikara didn't seem to be the only one who was having second thoughts about what happened last night.

Breakfast was a rather quiet affair. Akiteru-san desperately tried to get a conversation going by asking Chikara about his work at university, but there wasn't much to talk about there. Chikara was just an assistant professor, and trying to explain his research to people who didn't have a background in philosophy was a chore. He enjoyed his subject immensely, but he was perfectly aware that most people didn't really get it.

“Soo... what's the plan for today?” Ryuu asked once they started clearing the table.

“We'll go back to my parents,” Chikara said, frowning, “and we'll try to talk it out like responsible adults instead of running away.”

“Sounds like a good idea,” Saeko-san chimed in. “I can drive you guys. I wanted to go to the market over there today anyway.”

“Thank you very much, Saeko-san.”

_At least, there is one definite upside to this_ , Chikara thought as they packed up their things.  _Ryuu will be able to back me up when I confront my parents._

***

Chikara's shoulders seemed unnaturally stiff as he stood in front of his parents' house, finger hovering over the doorbell.

“I don't want to,” he whispered, barely loud enough for Ryuu to hear.

“I'm right here with you,” Ryuu said, gently brushing his hand over Chikara's back. He wished he could say more, offer more encouragement perhaps, but he couldn't come up with anything that wasn't inappropriately sentimental.

“Thanks.” Chikara swallowed audibly and pressed the button. Ryuu kept his hand on his back in the hopes that it would provide him with comfort.

They didn't have to wait long for Chikara's mother to open the door. When she saw her son, Ume-san immediately threw her arms around him and pressed her face against his chest.

“Chikara, sweetie!” she said. “I'm so glad you're okay. I was worried sick!”

“I'm an adult, Mum,” Chikara sighed, awkwardly petting the back of her head. “I can take care of myself.”

“Where did you boys stay last night?” Ume-san asked, turning her head to look at Ryuu.

“My sister let us stay at her place,” he explained, forcing himself to smile.

“And she let us stay in the same room,” Chikara added. Ryuu resisted the temptation to roll his eyes at Chikara. Even an idiot would know that this was not the way to start a civil conversation with someone.

“I'm... Let's talk about this inside,” Ume-san said, stepping away from her son.

Ryuu felt like an intruder as the Ennoshita family gathered in the living room. His stomach was twisting with nerves as he sat down next to Chikara. All he wanted was for this conversation to go well. But it wasn't his place to speak, so instead, he took Chikara's hand, squeezing softly.

***

There had been a lot of things Chikara wanted to say to his parents, but they'd all been wiped away as soon as he was sitting in their living room. His mind was blank except for that vague feeling of hurt that had been following him around ever since he'd accidentally outed himself in front of them all these years ago.

“It's time we apologise, huh?” Chikara's father was the first to break the silence that had settled over the room.

“Do you even know what you are apologising for?” Chikara asked, pursing his lips. He knew he was being obstinate. He didn't care.

“Well, mostly for not listening to you,” his father said, smiling ruefully. “You've been telling us that you're not interested in women for years, and we...” He sighed. “We ignored you. And that was wrong.”

“Tarou and I were talking last night,” Chikara's mother added, fiddling with her wedding ring, “about how happy you looked while we were having dinner. Ryuunosuke-kun is good for you, and I'm sorry I doubted your judgement. I just couldn't imagine it, you know? You being with another man... But when I see you now, holding hands with Ryuunosuke-kun...” She shrugged. “You're good together.”

Chikara didn't know how to react. He'd been ready to scream and shout, but now he just felt deflated.

“I'm sorry about the tone I used yesterday,” Chikara mumbled.

“It's fine, sweetie,” his mother said, awkwardly patting his knee.

“Please take care of each other, boys,” his father said.

“We'll try,” Ryuu said with a crooked smile, and Chikara nodded. He was glad his parents finally seemed to have come around, but there still was another day left before Ryuu and Chikara had to take the train back to Kyoto – enough time to wait and see whether his parents had actually changed their minds.

“Well–” his mother clapped her hands– “Chikara, your old bed is a little too small for two grown men, so I hope you don't mind that I set up a second futon for you in the guest room...”

Chikara couldn't help the smile. At the very least they were making an effort.

***

The rest of their stay in Miyagi was rather pleasant compared to how things had started out. Ryuu once again felt welcome in the Ennoshita household, and Chikara seemed to relax around his parents as well. He was laughing more, and the wrinkle between his brows was becoming less and less pronounced. Ryuu felt a wave of fondness wash over him every time their eyes met.

After dinner, Ryuu and Chikara went out into the garden, sitting down on a bench between two rose bushes.

“I was just about ready to bolt this morning, and this isn't even _your_ problem, so...” Chikara bumped his shoulder against Ryuu's. “Thanks for not running away from the drama, I guess.”

Ryuu didn't know what to say in response. This was his job, wasn't it? But that wasn't what Chikara wanted to hear, and Ryuu also didn't want to say it because there was more to this. He'd _wanted _to be there. He would've been there for Chikara even if no money was involved.

So instead of saying anything, Ryuu rested his head on Chikara's shoulder.

As the sun set behind the mountains of Miyagi, Ryuu, for the first time in years, thought about how tired he'd become of his job. Yes, he enjoyed meeting new people. Yes, he enjoyed helping them escape loneliness and terrible exes. But what these last two days had shown him was that, more than anything else, he wanted to build true connections with people again.

And so Ryuu closed his eyes, allowing himself to enjoy Chikara's warmth right there next to him. If only this was real. If only there was no time limit. If only they didn't have to go back to Kyoto and go their separate ways tomorrow.

***

Saying goodbye to his parents was a much more emotional affair than Chikara was used to. When he had visited them in the past, he'd usually been ready to flee, but today, it was harder to let go of his mother as he hugged her goodbye. It really had been time for them to have an actual conversation instead of a borderline shouting match.

“Next time you guys come to visit, we could perhaps also arrange to meet your parents, Ryuunosuke-kun,” Chikara's father suggested, patting Ryuu on the shoulders. Chikara could feel his heart sink right down into his stomach.

“Er, yeah. We'll see if we can make that happen,” Ryuu said, laughing nervously.

The fact that there wasn't going to be a next time hadn't sunk in until that moment. Everything had seemed so perfect until just mere moments ago, but now Chikara's intestines were tying themselves up in knots. He'd been lying to his parents, and he would have to keep that up, for at least a couple more weeks, and then end the whole charade by telling them that he'd broken up with Ryuu. That had been the plan right from the start. But now that it was becoming reality, Chikara felt terrible.

It wasn't just that he'd have to lie. No, there was something even worse! He would have to let go of Ryuu as soon as they arrived in Kyoto. They had exchanged phone numbers on their train ride to Miyagi, just in case, but who said that Ryuu wouldn't block him and move on once the job was done? Chikara knew that what he was feeling at the moment was nothing but infatuation, a stupid little crush, but he felt like it could become more. If only they had had the time to get to know each other better. If only this relationship didn't have to end before it even started.

“You've been awfully quiet,” Ryuu noted an hour later when they were already on the bullet train back home. “You alright?”

What was Chikara even supposed to say? He couldn't just tell Ryuu that he was going to miss him.

“I... I'm concerned about how your boss will react when you tell her about what happened between us.” It wasn't a complete lie. He was just leaving out a huge chunk of the truth.

“Don't worry. I'm not too attached to this job, to be honest,” Ryuu said, shrugging. “I'll live.”

They didn't talk much for the rest of the train ride. What even was there to say at this point?

Leaving the platform at the main station in Kyoto, Chikara sighed.

“Well, I gotta catch my bus,” he said. “It was nice meeting you. Good luck talking to your boss.”

“Thanks. It's been a nice couple of days,” Ryuu replied. “Good luck with whatever it is you do at uni.”

“Heh. Thanks.”

And with that, they went their separate ways.

***

Ryuu took a deep breath before lifting his hand to knock on Kiyoko-san's office door. This was going to be the end of an era.

“Come in.”

Ryuu followed his boss' invitation, his sweaty palm almost slipping on the door handle.

“Good evening, Kiyoko-san,” he said, trying to keep the nerves out of his voice, but he wasn't doing a good job of it.

“Good evening,” Kiyoko-san replied, one eyebrow raised. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Er...” Ryuu scratched the back of his head. “I have a little confession to make.”

Kiyoko-san wordlessly pointed at the empty chair in front of her desk. Ryuu sat down across from her and shoved his hands deep into his pockets so she wouldn't see him fidgeting.

“Go on,” she said, looking at him over the rim of her glasses.

“I messed up,” Ryuu said, squirming under her intense gaze.

“I gathered as much. What did you do? Ennoshita-san already transferred the money, and he rated your service with five stars on our website.”

“I... may have... broken our code of conduct, though,” Ryuu muttered.

“Start from the beginning.”

And so Ryuu did. He told her everything from start to finish, only leaving out the more sordid details of what _exactly_ they had done in bed together. At this point, Ryuu felt like a broken record, but getting it off his chest in front of Kiyoko-san was an actual relief, although it was scary to face sudden unemployment.

“So yeah,” he ended his retelling with an apologetic smile. “I know I shouldn't have done it, but I slept with a client.”

Kiyoko-san took off her glasses and grabbed a cloth from one of her desk's drawers. Her face was completely neutral as she meticulously cleaned the lenses. This couldn't be a good sign.

“I knew you'd be mad at me,” Ryuu added, shrinking in on himself, “and I'm ready to face any and all consequences.”

“I'm not mad,” Kiyoko-san said, putting her glasses back on. “However, I have a question. In four years, you never – not _once_ felt inclined to go along with any customer who wanted to sleep with you. What makes Ennoshita-san so special?”

Ryuu blinked. Huh.

“I don't know? He was so sweet and vulnerable with me? I know it was probably just because I was there at the right time, but he wasn't shy about telling me how hurt he was by his parents' behaviour,” Ryuu knew he was starting to ramble, but he couldn't stop himself. “Also, he was like... sexy as fuck. I know you're not into guys, but if you ever met the guy, you'd know what I mean. More importantly, though... he's kind but doesn't take any bullshit. And I really like...”

Ryuu trailed off, eyes growing wide at a sudden realisation. “I really like him.”

_Fuck_.

“You're fired, Ryuu. You haven't been particularly enthusiastic about this job in months, and you're not going to be happy here in the long run,” Kiyoko-san said matter-of-factly. “Don't worry, you'll get your wages for the last three days. Also, I have friends who are opening up a bar soon, and they're still looking for a bartender. I'll refer them to you under one condition.”

“What is that condition?” Ryuu asked.

“That you get out of here right this second to go and get your man,” she said. “Call him. Text him. I don't care how you do it, but go and ask him on a date.”

Ryuu got up and bowed. “It was an honour working for you, Kiyoko-san.”

“Go already.”

“Yes, ma'am.”

***

It had been a while since Chikara had last lain on his sofa and just stared at the ceiling. He usually wasn't the type to allow himself to wallow in self-pity, but he couldn't help it this time. That's what he got for hiring a fake boyfriend. Also, there still was one day left to prepare the next introduction to philosophy lecture. He could afford one more evening of not thinking about anything work-related. Maybe he could call Narita over for a drink and whine about how miserable he was. Yeah, that sounded like a good idea actually.

Chikara blindly reached out for his phone, grabbing it off of his coffee table. Just as he opened his messenger app, a new text notification flashed across the screen.

From: Tanaka Ryuunosuke

> I want to talk to you. Preferably in person? Where do you live?

Had something bad happened? Maybe they mixed up some of their clothes when they'd packed their bags. Or maybe something _really _bad had happened, like Ryuu getting fired over their one-night stand.

Chikara cursed out loud as he typed up his address.

From: Tanaka Ryuunosuke

> Thanks

> Be there in 20 mins

That caused Chikara to curse even more as he realised that his flat was in a state of absolute chaos. He quickly grabbed his laundry basket from the bathroom and started collecting any and all clothes that were strewn around the floor in the hopes that it would at least make his flat semi-presentable by the time Ryuu showed up.

***

Ryuu basically sprinted down the roads from the bus station to Chikara's flat. It was like he was possessed. He needed to tell Chikara how he felt, and nothing else mattered at that moment. And so he ran, only slowing down to check for traffic before crossing the street and to look at the map on his phone. The building wasn't far from the station, and only as it came into view, did Ryuu slow down so he could catch his breath before talking to Chikara.

He climbed the stairs to flat number 202 and rang the bell.

Almost immediately, Chikara opened the door, his face spelling out alarm.

“Is everything alright? Did you get fired?”

“I did, but it's okay,” Ryuu said. “Can I come in? I have something to tell you, and I don't wanna do it outside.”

“Go ahead.”

Chikara stepped aside, letting Ryuu inside the flat. Ryuu quickly slipped out of his shoes and closed the door behind him.

“I want to go out with you,” he blurted out before Chikara could even lead him inside properly. “But for real this time. No money involved.”

Chikara froze in the entryway, eyes wide.

“I've only known you for three days, and I want to get to know you even better,” Ryuu went on. “I don't regret the blow jobs. It may have cost me my job, but I haven't enjoyed a one-night stand this much in ages. You are everything I could ever want in a guy, and I can only hope that you would even consider going out with me properly.”

Suddenly, Chikara stepped forward and cupped Ryuu's face in his hands.

“No consideration needed,” he said, his brown eyes shining with determination. “I'm sorry you lost your job. I've been attracted to you from the moment I saw you. There's no way I could say no to a guy like you.”

Ryuu couldn't help himself. Chikara's face was so close and his lips so inviting... Without warning, he placed his hand on the back of Chikara's neck and pulled him in for a kiss. He meant for it to be short and sweet, but Chikara wasn't having any of that, kissing back with so much passion it made Ryuu weak in the knees.

“Do you have any other plans for tonight?” Chikara asked.

“No?”

“Good, because I want you in my bed right now.”

“Yes, please!”

***

Chikara bloodstream had been replaced with pure endorphins, or at least that was what it felt like when he grabbed Ryuu's hand and dragged him into the bedroom. He hadn't bothered tidying up in here, but he didn't give a fuck about keeping up appearances anymore. Everything he'd been worrying about ever since they'd said goodbye to his parents had been wiped away with a handful of sentences and a kiss.

They practically stumbled into bed, flopping onto the mattress with single-minded determination. Chikara wasted no time, immediately pulling Ryuu down on top of him for a heated kiss.

“There are so many things I want to do to you, I don't even know where to start,” Chikara groaned against Ryuu's lips.

“The feeling's mutual,” Ryuu replied and immediately went for another kiss that sent Chiakar's mind spinning.

In some ways, this situation was like their first night all over again – desperate, needy and intoxicating. In other ways, it was nothing like that first night. Chikara was giddy and giggly in a way he hadn't experienced in years, and the smile on Ryuu's face was blindingly bright. If this was what it was going to be like to be in a relationship with Ryuu – a _real_ one – then Chikara was going to be the happiest man on earth.

He soon found himself half-naked, unflattering boxer shorts and socks the only clothing that hadn't fallen victim to Ryuu's curious hands yet.

“You are so freaking gorgeous,” Ryuu sighed, looking down at Chikara. It wasn't the first time he'd expressed such sentiments in the last couple of days, but it was the first time Chikara actually believed him.

_Context matters, I guess_ , he thought as he fumbled with the button of Ryuu's jeans. Once he'd finally managed to pry it open, Chikara unceremoniously flipped Ryuu over onto his back and helped him get rid of the jeans. Then he reached for the condoms on his bedside table.

“I have a question,” Ryuu said, pushing himself up on his elbows. “When was the last time you had a... you know... checkup?”

“Last month, I think. I should be clean. You?”

“Two months, but you're the only person I've been with since then, so we should be fine, right?”

Chikara's eyes went wide. He couldn't believe that someone like Ryuu of all people had trouble finding one-night stands, even with his job. Well, former job...

“Depends on what we wanna do,” Chikara said, shoving that thought aside. He could worry about that later.

“I'm not patient enough to properly prep for anal right now, to be honest,” Ryuu said.

“What do you have in mind then?”

“Frottage?”

There was no way Chikara would object to that. He still remembered how good Ryuu was with his hands after all.

***

Ryuu didn't have enough words to describe how it felt to have Chikara sitting on his lap, naked and panting as they rubbed their dicks together. It was a feast for all of his senses – the smell of Chikara's deodorant, the sight of the lovely red flush on Chikara's face and shoulders, the taste of salt as Ryuu kissed below Chikara's ear, the wet sounds of lube on skin, and most importantly, the feeling of Chikara's length gliding against Ryuu's own.

“Hmm, I'm so close,” Chikara whined, bucking up into Ryuu's hands as he leaned back. Ryuu doubled his efforts in response, trying to increase the friction between them by tightening his grip a little. Chikara responded with a whimper, and then he came all over Ryuu's chest. He immediately pried Ryuu's hands away from their dicks, shifting positions so quickly that Ryuu barely even registered what was happening until Chikara had taken his dick all the way into his mouth, seemingly unfazed by the fact that it was slick with lube and his own cum.

“You're too good to me,” Ryuu groaned, letting his head fall back against the headboard. Chikara only bobbed his head up and down a couple of times before Ryuu could feel himself getting close to release. He tried to warn Chikara, but Chikara didn't stop.

“Fuck!” Ryuu couldn't remember the last time an orgasm had hit him so hard that he was almost seeing stars. The feeling of Chikara swallowing around him was just heavenly.

“Bitter.” Chikara pulled a grimace as he wiped off his mouth on the back of his hand.

Ryuu just shook his head.

“I warned you.”

“And I wanted to make this good for you,” Chikara said, grinning and grabbing a box of tissues to wipe off the worst of the mess they'd made. In the afterglow of his orgasm, Ryuu barely found the strength to move, but there was one thing he had to do before he forgot.

“Can you pass me my jeans? I need my phone for a sec.”

“What do you need it for?” Chikara asked as he picked them up off the floor.

Ryuu took his phone out of his pocket and opened the messenger app.

“I need to tell Kiyoko-san that I actually ended up confessing to you, or else she won't help me find a new job,” Ryuu said.

“You... what?” Chikara looked and sounded more than just slightly puzzled.

“I'll explain once I've sent her a text.”

To: Shimizu Kiyoko

> He's my boyfriend now

> That means you'll help me get that job at the bar, right? :D

The reply came almost immediately.

From: Shimizu Kiyoko

> I already sent them your contact details an hour ago.

> Also, congrats. I hope you two can be happy together.

***

It was a relief to hear that Ryuu's former boss was trying to help him find a new job.

“And here I thought I'd messed everything up for you,” Chikara said, slumping against Ryuu's shoulder.

“Nah. You showed up at just the right time, I'd say.” Ryuu gently brushed a hand through Chikara's hair and placed a kiss on his temple. “I'm glad you don't have to disappoint your parents by telling them we broke up or something.”

Chikara chuckled.

“Yeah. They'll be thrilled to get to know your family. I'm not sure how they'll react to your sister being in a relationship with _two_ guys at the same time, though.”

Ryuu shrugged and pulled Chikara even closer.

“We'll figure it out.”

Chikara simply nodded and sighed. Somehow this whole fake boyfriend thing had led to him ending up in an actual relationship. It was a freaking miracle that everything had turned out this well for him, but he wasn't going to question it.

“Will you stay the night?”

“Definitely.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Nana for being my beta reader <3

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on [Tumblr](http://gilrael.tumblr.com), [Pillowfort](https://pillowfort.social/Gilrael) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/Gilrael92) if you want to keep up with my writing :)


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